Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Music

Renaissance (15th and 16th Centuries)

Period characterized by the recovery of classical ideals (beauty, proportion, symmetry) in various art disciplines (architecture, sculpture). Works of art from ancient Greece and Rome were taken as models.

Renaissance Music

There were no ancient musical examples because we do not conserve any ancient Greek or Roman scores. The most characteristic feature is the improvement of polyphony. The music from this period adopts some of the ancient ideals:

1. Ideals of beauty, proportion, and symmetry.
2. Music must express and imitate the meaning of the lyrics.

Humanism

A new way of thinking that promotes the complete development of the human being through the studies of art and sciences. Leonardo Da Vinci is a key figure.

Printing

Romanticism: A school of thought that valued feeling and intuition over reason. It first emerged in Germany in the 18th century. Romantics believed that the imagination could apprehend truths, usually accompanied by powerful emotion and associated with natural, unspoiled beauty. To the Romantic sensibility, the imagination, spontaneity, individual feelings, and wild nature were of greater value than reason, logic, planning, and cultivation. To the Romantic mind, poetry was the highest and most sublime embodiment of the imagination. Romanticism emphasized feeling and intuition over reason, sought wisdom in natural beauty, and valued poetry above all other works of the imagination.

Essential Literary Terms and Historical Genres

Elegies: Expressing Personal Emotions

Elegies express personal emotions, often characterized by mourning or reflection. Poetic devices frequently found include alliteration and caesura.

The most important elegies are preserved in the Exeter Book of the Exeter Cathedral, notably:

• “The Wanderer”
• “The Seafarer”

These works were composed around the 9th century.

The Wanderer: Theme of Exile

“The Wanderer” specifically deals with the theme of exile. It portrays an Anglo-Saxon warrior demonstrating his loyalty to his lord or his country.

Metaphysical Poets

Key figures in the Metaphysical poetry movement include:

• John Donne
• Ben Jonson

The Epistolary Novel

The epistolary novel is a narrative form presented... Continue reading "Essential Literary Terms and Historical Genres Defined" »

Romanticism: A Cultural and Artistic Movement

Romanticism was a significant cultural and artistic movement that emerged in Europe between the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It represents the onset of modernity.

Key Features of Romanticism

• Freedom of the Individual: Social, moral, political, and artistic freedom were central tenets.
• Subjectivism: Authors expressed their inner selves, passions, and feelings through literature. There was often a clash between aspirations for happiness and the emerging reality, leading to an interest in marginalized figures like the hacker, the executioner, and the pauper.
• Irrationalism, Idealism, Nationalism, and Youthful Rebellious Spirit: These elements frequently appeared in Romantic works.

Stages of Romanticism

A Century of Change

The twentieth century broke with Romanticism, introducing different music. World War II found romantic music evolving with more modern forms of composition. In the nineteenth century, musical movements emerged with a new air of France and nationalism.

Impressionism and the Group of Six

The Impressionists sought to create atmospheres and suggestive impressions using new combinations of timbres and harmonies. Principal composer Claude Debussy, with works like The Sea, Clouds, Sirens, and Night. Maurice Ravel, another Impressionist, was a very skilled orchestrator, achieving a winning combination of magical sounds and instruments never before used. He composed the Bolero for orchestra.

In Paris, the Group of Six, admirers of Erik... Continue reading "20th Century Music: Impressionism, Nationalism, and Digital Era" »

18th Century British Arts

Architecture in the Augustan Age

Arts relate themselves to aesthetic, political, ethical, and educational codes. For Christopher Wren, the arts expressed the national spirit:

“Architecture has its political uses: Public Buildings being the Ornament of a Country; it establishes a Nation, draws People and Commerce; makes the People love their native Country, which Passion is the Original of all great Actions in a Commonwealth.”

The churches of Augustan architecture represent a considerable body of religious art for a Protestant community. Knowledge of the arts was indispensable to the educated person of the age, and the idea of the Grand Tour was also important.

Notable architectural successes of this Augustan age include:... Continue reading "18th Century British Arts: Architecture, Painting, and Music" »

Albéniz's Artistic Legacy and Influence

Isaac Albéniz wrote for all kinds of genres, but his piano output stands out as his most significant contribution. He is considered one of the most important composers of Spanish nationalism, as his work evokes the rhythms and melodies of popular Spanish music.

The titles of his works often relate to specific areas of Spain. His compositions emphasize the expressive power of his melodies, which always achieve striking contrasts.

Featured Work: Asturias (Leyenda)

Asturias (Leyenda) is a renowned piano piece that forms part of the Suite Española, Op. 47. It is structured in three parts. A suite is a musical work containing several individual pieces; in this case, each piece within the suite evokes different... Continue reading "Isaac Albéniz: Master of Spanish Piano and His Enduring Legacy" »

Mohamed Sharif Mendez Fernandez: A Hip-Hop Journey

Born January 17, 1980, Mohamed Sharif Mendez Fernandez began his artistic journey early. “I think it was back in '92 when I started writing my first poems, at 12 years old, just learning to live,” he recalls. During that time, he also met his crew, Tha Posse, and began to leave his mark in ink. It wasn't until '94 that they recorded their first song, titled “4 Devils in the Micro,” for a compilation called Zaragoza Zulu.

Four more years passed before they recorded what would be Tha Posse's first album, “Too Much Honor for Hunger.” This work earned them recognition and respect, crafted with a passion and sincerity that can only be achieved when writing from the heart. Since then, Sharif... Continue reading "Musical Legacies: Hip-Hop, Klezmer, and Spanish Songwriting Icons" »

Baroque Architecture

• Bernini: Colonnade of St. Peter's Square; Canopy to the Basilica of St Peter's; Church of San Andrea del Quirinale.
• Borromini: The Oratory of St. Philip Neri; Church San Ivo; Church Santa Ines in Piazza Navona; San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane.

Baroque Sculpture

• Bernini: The Rape of Proserpina; Tomb of Urban VIII; The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa; Fountain of the Four Rivers; Tomb of Alexander VII; David; Apollo and Daphne.
• Gregorio Fernández: Pietà; Made numerous altarpieces; Christ Recumbent.
• Salzillo: Eight processional statues (The Fall, The Prayer in the Garden, San Juan, The Kiss of Judas, The Last Supper, The Painful, Jesus Bound to the Column, The Ordeal); The Belén Riquelme family; Holy Family; St. Jerome Penitent; Prayer

Classical Music

1. Construction of Classical Music

Classical music is built upon the principle of melody, emphasizing symmetrical structure. Melodies are typically divided into sections of 8 bars (periods and sub-periods of 2) or 6 bars (3+3). Harmony plays a crucial role, with a tonal hierarchy centered around the root (R), dominant (V), and subdominant (IV) chords. Harmonic tones emphasize scales and arpeggios. Alberti bass, a common accompaniment pattern, involves arpeggiating chords in a regular, repeated pattern.

2. New Instruments in the Orchestra

The harpsichord gradually disappeared from the orchestra. Two prominent instruments emerged: the horn and the clarinet. The piano also became a key instrument.

• Wind: Clarinet, Horn
• Keyboard: Piano

3.